


First Impressions

by spookysith



Category: Star Wars (Marvel Comics), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Anxiety, Awkward Conversations, Cultural Differences, Eli Vanto Doing His Best, Empire-era, First Time Truly Meeting, M/M, Poor Space Cowboy, Xenophobia, pre-episode 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:09:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26962687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookysith/pseuds/spookysith
Summary: Eli Vanto gets reassigned to be the translator and aide to the newly picked up alien named Thrawn. This is their first time truly meeting and getting to know one another.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo & Eli Vanto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello There! I am so nervous to actually post this, but I figured I would give it a shot. I am so sorry if this is absolutely awful, and constructive criticism is more than welcome! This is just literally just Eli and Thrawn meeting for the first time and is HEAVILY inspired from the comic Thrawn #1. There are bits of the comic in the actual story but most of it is my own interpretation of the events taking place. I own nothing! And once again, constructive criticism is more than welcome. Enjoy and May the Force be with you.

Eli sat across from the cerulean man who was now under his care and tutelage and took some deep breaths, trying to calm his racing nerves. In twenty-four standard hours his life had been drastically flipped over and ran over by a speeder. Going from a simple student from Myomar Academy to suddenly an aide and informant to the man sitting across from him, tasked with learning all he could about the stranger in front of him.

_ ‘I should probably begin simple….just to see how fluent in Basic he really is.’ _ Eli looked the man over one more time before opening his mouth, his mouth going suddenly dry. The man looked calm, as if he already knew how this whole ordeal would go, despite his predicament and overall appearance. Blue skin, high cheekbones, long blue-black hair, and glowing red eyes that made Eli feel like he was a bug under a microscope, Eli knew what this man was, a Chiss. At that thought, the hair on the back of his neck raised and goosebumps formed along his arms, mentally thanking the long sleeves on his Cadet uniform. 

He had heard all about the Chiss, being from Lysatra and one of the closest planets to the Unknown Regions, where the Chiss were rumored to be from. The people of Lysatra had lots of urban legends regarding the reclusive species. Stories along the lines of the Chiss being able to use their eyes to control their enemies, like some sort of puppet. To stories of powers the Chiss possess, like telekinesis or mind reading. Eli could still hear the stories told around the campfires on late summer nights back on Lysatra, mainly told by the elders of his family. His grandmother’s words ringing in his ears, how with one look by a Chiss, you would be a dead man right where you stood.

_ ‘Well, he is staring directly at me...and I ain’t dead yet’  _ Eli reasoned in his head. Eli took one final deep breath and met the gaze of the Chiss.  _ ‘Nope...still alive.’  _ Although his feelings of scrutiny multiplied, he was proud that he met the gaze of the alien in front of him, slightly embarrassed he believed those urban legends even as a young adult. “You said your name was Thrawn, right?” Eli questioned, trying his best the stomp out his wild space accent, cringing slightly when it still bled through. “Yes, and you are?” Thrawn, the Chiss, questioned. “Eli, Cadet Eli Vanto, sir.” Eli replied, still using his old manners from Lysatra, even if Thrawn was technically a prisoner to the Empire. Thrawn nodded and appeared to be in thought, Eli shifted under the Chiss’s gaze, feeling panic rise back up.  _ ‘I only gave him my name...what can he do with that information?’ _ He stomped the panic back down, and forced himself to look calm, despite the feelings that were swirling around inside him.

“We don’t get many of your kind around here, sir.” Eli began, trying a different approach to friendly conversation and to relieve some of the thick tension in the room. “Yes, I am far from my homeworld, it seems to be a different part of the galaxy entirely.” Thrawn replied, Eli couldn’t help but notice the man had an accent, one he had never heard before. “You come from the unknown regions, don’t you?” If Thrawn was surprised Eli knew this bit of information, he hid it very well, with his eyebrows only furrowing slightly. “You know of my….” Thrawn paused, confusion crossing his face.”...pilnaeith?” “Planet.” Eli translated for him. Thrawn nodded, “Yes, you know of my planet?” He asked, adding the new word to his Basic vocabulary. 

Eli put his elbows on his knees, leaning in slightly, “I don’t know of your home, or where it is, just the general location.” “Most of your people have never even heard of my people, how do you know?” Thrawn asked, suspicion mounting. “Where I come from, we have legends of the Chiss, if it wasn’t for The Chaos dividing us, our planets would be relatively close to one another.” Eli explained, glad conversation was coming easier. “I see...these legends, could you tell me some?” Eli felt the blood leave his face, scared of what would happen if he told the urban legends surrounding the Chiss. “They are just legends sir, I’m sure they aren’t true...simple stories to keep the kids in bed at night.” At this Thrawn’s lips tugged up slightly and eyes sparkled dangerously, “Still, I would like to hear them.”

Eli leaned back, recalling the legends he had remembered earlier. “One of the legends back home is to not look a Chiss in the eye, you can either kill us or control our minds with just your eyes alone. I think the whole concept of glowing red eyes freak the people out back home.” Eli began, cringing and hoping he wasn’t offending the Chiss, not wanting to test him already. Thrawn nodded,”That is understandable, the Chiss are known for our natural ability to intimidate other species, but I assure you Cadet Vanto, we have no special abilities that you have described thus far.” he explained, amused other species thought this about his species. “I figured they were all myths anyways, I mean...mind control? Killing people with a simple look? They prolly just say these things to scare the kids at night, but sometimes I do think some people believe it back home. At least the older people do. My grandpa was a staunch believer in the xenophobia surrounding the Chiss.” Thrawn frowned, “What is a  _ grandpa _ ?” he asked. ‘ _ Out of all the things to be confused about he chose the word grandpa?’  _ Eli thought to himself, “It's uh, your mother or father’s father.” He explained, “Do y’all not call them grandpa back home?” “No, we refer to them as our M’ukuh’lu” Thrawn explained. 

Eli let the melodic foreign word fall on his ears, immediately knowing that it was not the Si Bisti he was familiar with. “Where do these stories originate from in your people, Cadet Vanto?” Thrawn pressed on, “Passed down mainly sir, usually from the older people in the family to the youngest.” Eli explained. “I find them…ukayjabluisa.” Thrawn commented. “Uh, entertaining, you find my myths entertaining, sir.” Eli said, “Yes, rather entertaining indeed.” Thrawn said, shifting slightly in his binders, eyes never leaving the cadet in front of him.

“They may be entertaining, but they are nothing but crazy myths, why are you so interested in them, if I may ask?” Eli inquired. “I appreciate you telling me these stories of misconceptions about my people, I am curious because you can learn so much about others just by the stories they tell.” Thrawn explained. Eli’s eyes glassed over, not quite following where Thrawn was headed with this. “And what have you learned about humans from  _ my _ myths?” Eli inquired. “Apologies, I do not mean the human race as a whole. I mean one can learn lots about the person based on the stories they share.” Thrawn explained. “And what exactly have you learned about me?” Eli asks. 

Thrawn’s gaze slightly went past Eli, as if he was staring at something beyond him, even though Eli knew it was just the grey wall of the cabin behind him. “That you do not want to be a translator or an aide. That, even though you know those stories of my people are nothing but myth, you still have a little bit of fear in you about my presence. I cannot blame you, you were raised on such myths. And you most certainly do not want to be an interrogator, but you feel like one.” Thrawn concluded. “Wait, who said I was an interrogator?” Eli asked slightly defensively. Thrawn simply continued, not answering the question, “My presence has caused you a great change, has it not? You want to go back to whatever you were doing before this. You are not used to change. You wish to go back to your numbers and inventory lists, the things you are good and familiar with. Numbers and lists are where your talents lie, do they not?” 

Eli felt his eyes widen,’ _ How the hell did he figure all of that out in the twenty-four hours we have known one another? Did he lie when he said he could not read minds?’  _ Thrawn was correct, as much as Eli hated to admit it. He did miss the routine and safety the numbers and inventory lists gave him. I mean, he was from Lysatra, almost nothing ever changed all the way out in Wild Space. And being completely derailed from his original course as becoming an Imperial Supply Officer had him aggravated and anxious. Eli finally nodded,”Fascinating, you think my talents are below you? Seeing as you are obviously some type of warrior from the Chiss.” Eli shot back, allowing a sarcasm to seep in his words. He didn’t know if Thrawn picked up on the sarcasm or not, “Do you?” Thrawn asked. “Of course not, numbers and logistics are in my blood, for three generations my family has done this. This is where I am meant to be, a supply officer, nothing more. The only thing that is different is I am doing it for the Imperial Navy, not my family’s business back home.” 

“Do you believe you are good at your job?” Thrawn asked. “I would say so. I’m on my last term on Myomar, as soon as I graduate I’ll be shipped off to some ship and given an assignment.” “Is that what you want?”  _ ‘What kind of question is that?’  _ Eli thought to himself, annoyance shooting though him. ’ _ Of course that is what I want...I am going to school for it after all.’  _ Eli sighed and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall his bed was pressed against. ”Yes, that is what I want. What I want to know is why are you so curious about me? Why do you care about me so damn much?” Thrawn must have caught unto the explicative he used because he bowed his head slightly,”I am sorry, I mean no harm. I am simply curious about you and your empire that you serve.” Suddenly Eli couldn’t hold the others gaze and looked down at his feet in front of him, finding the shiny tip of his uniform’s boots very interesting. “But why me? I ain’t nothing. Just a supply officer in training from a backwater planet. I even got the accent and all. I ain’t much, nothing like Captain Parck or any other higher ups you’ve met. Why haven’t you asked about them? Hell, you haven’t even asked about Emperor Palpatine or anything on the Imperial Senate.” The more aggravated Eli got, the more of his Wild Space accent slipped on accident. “Because...you are my translator, my aide, my eyes and ears to what is happening around me. You are not nothing, your place of birth does not determine your worth. You are exceedingly crucial to my success and your success. I am trusting you with my words and their meanings to those around me. And while those are not connected to my immediate survival,  _ you _ are, Cadet Vanto.” Thrawn said calmly and quietly, contrasting against Eli’s own raised voice. 

That was when the reality of the situation hit Eli. Thrawn was right, when you put it like that, he was a key to Thrawn’s survival. Anxiety coursed through Eli’s veins with this realization, making the room feel a lot smaller than it was, making it harder to breathe, and a low ringing began in his ears. He was just a supply officer in training. Nothing more. He was just a Wild Space yokel, half the students and professors back at Myomar didn’t even believe he was educated. And  _ he  _ was given the responsibility to make sure Thrawn didn’t get executed because he said the wrong thing to the wrong people? What if he messed this up and got Thrawn killed on accident? What if he translated something wrong into a horribly offensive statement about someone or their mother? He wasn’t used to such large responsibilities, he didn’t know if he wanted to be used to them at all. And to tack on the fact he was from Wild Space and Thrawn was an alien going into Imperial Territory on Coruscant, the heart of the Empire itself, Eli was terrified. God, he could already feel the stares on his back and hear the slight giggles whenever he opened his mouth to say anything. And with Thrawn now being by his side constantly, he knew the harassment would just get worse. 

“Cadet…? Cadet Vanto…? Can you hear me? Are you alright?” Thrawn’s voice slowly came through the loud ringing in Eli’s ears. Snapping out of his trail of overthinking, he looked at Thrawn. “You are shaking, are you ill?” Thrawn asked, noticing how Eli’s usual brown skin paled several shades and his now erratic breathing. It took a moment for Eli to process what Thrawn had said to him,”Y-yes...I am fine.” Eli stammered out,”I was just thinking, sir.” Eli explained, praying Thrawn wouldn’t question him further. “It was causing obvious distress, what made you so troubled? Was it something I said?” Thrawn asked, wanting to know why the Cadet in front of him went from seemingly fine to so distressed, perhaps he could avoid it in the future. “Well...uh sir…” Eli’s eyes went around the room, trying to look at anything else other than Thrawn. Thrawn waited patiently, as if he knew Eli was trying to get his thoughts together to form a coherent sentence.  _ ‘Pull it together Eli!’  _ Eli forced a deep breath in and out, “It’s just...I am worried I will mess up, sir. I mean, I could possibly translate something completely wrong and get both of us killed. What if that happens? It would be my fault the both of us are dead.” Eli began,”And there is the harassment...people already don’t like people like me in the Empire because I come from Wild Space. And now the Empire has a wild space yokel and an alien together...we are going to have a large target on our backs for harassment. Thrawn...I’m sure you’ve caught on, they don’t like people like us.” 

Thrawn sat there, processing everything Eli just told him, steepling his fingers as best he could with binders on. “So, it seems we are systematically put at a... _ sukmio _ .” Thrawn began. “Disadvantage” Eli translated. “Yes, exactly, we are at a disadvantage. And people are going to treat us differently due to it.” Thrawn sat in silence for a while, he was prepared for this. He was prepared for the verbal harassment...but did the term ‘harassment’ also cover physical harassment? _ ‘Do members of the Empire hate aliens and people from wild space so much that it would even lead to that?’  _ Thrawn wondered, seeing why Eli was so distressed. “I understand. Thank you for explaining, Cadet Vanto. And while we are at a systematic disadvantage, we will simply have to prove our worth. If we show that we are a valuable asset, we will be irreplaceable to the Empire. If we have to deal with harassment along the way, then so be it.” Thrawn’s eyes glinted, a smirk forming on his lips. “This is not an impossible environment to succeed in, Cadet Vanto.” 

Eli ran his hands across his face, too stubborn to accept that what Thrawn was saying held truth to it. If the two of them proved their worth to the Empire, logically the harassment wouldn’t be as bad, hopefully. “Fine, I’m trustin’ you here...but don’t be surprised when someone tries to jump us, that's all I’m sayin’.” Thrawn nodded,”Noted.” Eli looked at the mini chrono on his wrist, seeing it was getting close to dinner. Eli stood up from his bed, “It’s almost dinner, you can eat human food right? God I hope so, we ain’t got anything else on board.” Thrawn nodded, “Your food should suffice just fine.” “Good, you aren’t going to starve then while in the Empire.” Eli said jokingly. Thrawn’s lips quirked up in a slight smile,”Lovely.” was all he said, amused. Eli put on his Imperial cap and began walking to the door,”I’ll be back, and hopefully with food. Don’t wonder, if you try to step foot outside these doors, the binders will give you a nasty shock and personally, I don’t want to deal with an electrocuted Chiss.” Eli said as he activated the doors. “Do not worry, I will be here when you come back.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
